Share This Article
As the new trend of working from home grows from its covid boom, the need for comfortable, productive workplaces at home has arisen. Enter Home Office Ergonomics, simple design choices made to help you work harder for longer.
It has become essential to assess and optimize the ergonomic layout of your workspace, as long hours spent in the wrong conditions can lead to serious issues. Poor home offices can ultimately lead to neck, back, and especially wrist strain if your setup isn’t ergonomically friendly.
To help you understand how to create the ideal home office we’ve outlined a step-by-step guide to home office ergonomics, with a particular focus on Mac-compatible peripherals.
Table of Contents
Firstly, What Are Ergonomics And Why Do We Need Them?
Ergonomics is the science of understanding how humans interact with their environment. It applies to almost everything, from how we sit at our desks to how often we take breaks.
When it comes to home office ergonomics, the aim is to provide an environment that fits the individual user and allows them to work comfortably for longer periods of time. It may sound like a modern invention to make us buy more products we don’t need, but there is significant, credible evidence for the benefits simple changes can give us.
During the pandemic, the switch to working from home arrived overnight and left people without adequate home office ergonomics. Due to this, 92% of chiropractors reported a significant increase in the number of clients complaining about recent, serious neck pain, back pain, and other musculoskeletal issues. In conjunction with insurance companies reporting 41% of Americans have made claims for new or increased back, neck, and shoulder pain since they started working remotely. These are not small numbers, and the evidence shouldn’t be ignored.
Before the pandemic, in 2019, the Bureau of labor statistics reported that over 33% of all workplace injuries were caused due to a lack of ergonomics. This may lead you to ask the question, what should I do to increase my home office ergonomics?
The most important factor in creating the ideal home office ergonomics is choosing furniture and devices that provide proper support for your body and provide good posture when sitting or standing. Here are some key points to consider when designing your space:
Start With The Desk:
When choosing your home office desk, it’s critical to ensure it’s the proper height. The perfect desk height is one that aligns your elbows parallel to your desk surface. Moreover, your monitor should be at or slightly below eye level, and your keyboard and mouse should be at the same level.
When selecting a desk, if you’re able to extend your budget, a desk that can double as a standing desk is ideal. As this allows you to rotate between sitting and standing, reducing the amount of strain on your back throughout the day.
If your budget is tight, consider altering your desk setup with a laptop stand to increase the height of your screen without having to purchase a new desk. This Macally brand stand is highly recommended for its high-quality construction and ideal height. This stand contains a bundle with a wireless mouse and keyboard to allow you to position your laptop ideally without having to sacrifice any comfort.
Monitor Positioning:
If you use a monitor and not a laptop, poor monitor positioning can often be the source of neck and eye strain for people. Make sure your computer screen is at or slightly below eye level. Additionally, choose a monitor that is large enough to read text comfortably and supports adjustments to tilt, swivel, and height.
Typing And Mouse Work:
Typing and mouse work are some of the most significant causes of strain resulting from poor ergonomic setups. It’s critical to focus on two main things: your positioning and your design.
Positioning refers to where you place your devices, a wireless keyboard and mouse for example will grant greater flexibility to position them ideally. Allowing you to place every component to increase your home office ergonomics. This bundle here contains both a high-quality, wireless mouse and keyboard for a competitive price.
The second aspect, design, refers to the physical design of your products. An ergonomic keyboard design is regarded as the best way to increase your home office ergonomics. This is due to the design allowing ideal wrist and arm placement during the motion that causes the most amount of strain – typing. This ergonomic keyboard design is great as it’s also wireless, ticking both of the boxes. Again if budget is a factor, this wired option is still designed with excellent ergonomic properties, whilst saving some important cash.
Posture Support:
Your posture plays an important role in reducing strain and long-term pain. In your office chair, ensure adequate lower-back support, like a lumbar support pillow or rest. Poor posture could lead to slouching, which strains your spine and causes long-term health issues.
Lighting:
The lighting and general ambiance of your home office play a crucial role in your productivity, happiness, and health. Poor lighting can cause eye strain and headaches, so aim for natural sunlight and choose your artificial lights carefully. If you’re in need of a source of lighting for your desk, this Macally desk lamp offers ideal lighting to reduce eye strain as well as offering 4 USB ports to reduce desk clutter.
Conclusion:
Taking your home office ergonomics seriously is the best thing you can do for your work life. By improving our workspace, you can reduce your risk of long-term pain and strains whilst also improving your productivity.
The Mac-compatible accessories and peripherals in this guide help to ensure optimal workspace health and productivity. Please consider the advice in this guide and choose a quality brand like Macally for the products to outfit your office with the comfort you deserve.
